We must wait forty days to record the first significant steps toward ending the longest government shutdown in United States history. Republican and Democratic senators reached a tentative deal on Sunday, November 9, that allows government funding through January. With support from several Democrats, the text was approved with 60 votes in favor (40 against) in a rare Sunday session.
This country has, since 1uh October, in a situation of budget paralysis, which led to the closure of so-called “non-essential” services in the federal state. Hundreds of thousands of federal civil servants are working without pay.
Once approved in the Senate, the bill must still advance to the House of Representatives before being handed over to Donald Trump for his signature. “It appears we are nearing the end of the shutdown”the American president said Sunday evening after returning to the White House, but without saying whether he approved the agreement.
According to lawmakers, the deal reached in the Senate should allow for replenishment of food assistance programs that support 42 million Americans – one in eight – and whose payments have been disrupted by budget constraints. For a week, courts ordered the Trump administration to use reserve funds to distribute this aid, but the Supreme Court reversed this decision on Friday.
Sunday’s agreement also includes canceling layoffs of thousands of federal workers and holding a vote on expanding health care aid, which is set to expire at the end of the year. That proposal “protect federal workers from wrongful termination, rehire those wrongfully laid off during the shutdown, and ensure that federal workers receive their pay retroactively”said Democratic Senator Tim Kaine in a press release.
“This fight will and must continue,” said Democrat Chuck Schumer
For weeks, pressure has been mounting on lawmakers to agree on a way out of the crisis. Democrats have repeatedly voted against reopening government services, and demanded an extension of tax credits that make health coverage more affordable for plans offered under Obamacare.
The Senate Democratic minority leader, Chuck Schumer, on Sunday lamented that extending health aid was conditional on a vote and not an outright extension. “This fight will and must continue”he told the upper house of Congress.
The deal was not unanimous among left-leaning elected officials. Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who sits with the Democratic Party, said giving up resistance would be a shame “big mistake”.
More than 2,700 flights were canceled on Sunday
However, the prospect of resolving the conflict comes as airport chaos has become a major focus of political fights over the budget, with each side seeking to blame the other for problems experienced by travelers across the country.
America’s aviation regulator, the FAA, asked companies on Friday to gradually reduce their domestic flight schedules, citing the absence of many air traffic controllers. More than 2,700 flights were canceled Sunday in the United States, and 10,000 flights were delayed, according to the website FlightAware. Particularly affected were Newark and LaGuardia airports in New York, O’Hare in Chicago, and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta.
Transport Minister Sean Duffy warned on Sunday that extending the budget freeze would worsen the situation ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of the month. “Air traffic will not decrease while everyone wants to travel to see their families”he threatened on the Fox News channel. “You will see fewer air traffic controllers starting work, which means there will be fewer flights taking off and landing.”he added.
A return to normal air traffic could take days after the paralysis ends, while federal funding, including salaries, could restart the engine.
Donald Trump cited budget paralysis, resulting from infighting between Republicans and Democrats in Congress, as one of the causes of a series of electoral defeats suffered by his camp on November 4.
